Grilled Fish with Lime and Tarragon

At Angry Trout Cafe in Grand Marais, Minnesota, this grilled fish is often served as a salad, atop a "whatever is colorful and seasonal" mix of lettuce, veggies and fruits. (For the full effect, make the restaurant's Maple-Mustard Dressing, too.) But the fish is equally tasty as a stand-alone main.

Garlicky Fish Tacos

To quick pickle the onions, combine a sliced red onion with a generous pour of cider vinegar, a spoonful of brown sugar, toasted cumin seeds and a bit of salt. Let sit at room temperature for an hour before serving.

Lake Chowder

Angry Trout Cafe in Grand Marais, Minnesota, makes this buttery, dill-flecked chowder with lake trout, a mild-flavored and relatively oily fish. The recipe tastes just as good with salmon or whitefish.

Old Bay Burger

This tasty burger from Northern Waters Restaurant in Duluth, Minnesota, is essentially a tender fish cake on a bun. The key is grinding or chopping the fish enough to hold together--but not so finely that it becomes mealy.

Grilled Salmon with Pistachio-Basil Butter

Top grilled salmon with fresh basil, pistachios, lime juice, garlic and butter. Store leftover pistachio-basil butter in your refrigerator for up to a week; toss with hot pasta or spread on toasted French bread.

North Woods Fish Tacos

We trolled the lakes for this south-of-the-Canadian-border specialty. To give extra zip to the marinated whitefish, spoon on sweet-tart Midwest cherry salsa. Roll the chunks of fish in a tortilla along with the burgundy salsa, and finish it off with tangy sour cream.

Parmesan-Crusted Fish

Sprinkle panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs) and Parmesan cheese on fish fillets for a super-easy flavor coating. While the fish is baking, cook julienned carrots in a skillet and serve with butter and ginger.